Four Little Letters
by Mini-Chobi
Summary: Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba and Sasuke had gone on a very, very dangerous mission. The four of them have come back seriously injured, and all eventually die. How will the girls take this?
1. Shikamaru

**Hello! This was a four-shot that I felt like writing after reading 'Second Best' by Phaerie and 'Promises not Kept' by Achillea. It's a tragedy so if you like comical stuff, no read this, k! (wow... after the first comma that sentence made no sense whatsoever!)**

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****_Four Little Letters  
_By Mini-Chobi

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**  
"Why! Why! Answer me, damnit!" 

The blonde sobbed as she finished pounding on his chest and stretched herself over hisstomache. It couldn't be happening... not to the lazy git, it can't! Never! He never had his dream fulfilled!

She still remembered his parting letter. Yoshino had given it to Ino when Shikamaru came back hurt. Shikamaru's mother had said that Shikamaru wanted Ino to read it.

_Dear Ino, _

_I'm going on a mission. It's top secret, but I'm telling you. Chouji doesn't know. Please don't tell him. I'll probably die, and I hope you two will be able to deal with it. If anything happens to me, tell my ma and pa that I hope I've fulfilled their hopes for me, k?_

_This is going to be kind of weird, Ino. Here goes- I love you. I always have, and zoning out when you glomp Sasuke is my way of showing jealousy, I guess. I've just never told you. I could tell you would reject me anyway, and I didn't want anything to change between us._

_When Sasuke-san was here, I knew I had no chance. When he was gone, I was already a Chuunin and busier than hell. Stupid IQ. All the time I spend with you would include Chouji and/or Asuma-sensei, so I couldn't get around to it. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Ask you to go to the washroom with me?_

_...okkk... that came out wrong._

_I wasn't all that thrilled when Neji became your boyfriend 2 years ago. You ignored me even more, treated me even more than before like a servant, and nearly drove both Chouji and I insane. To be honest, I was ecstatic when you two broke up. Heh heh... you hate me now don't you?_

_I don't think you ever even noticed Temari and I were going out. Could you help me say sorry to her for giving her that false hope? I'm sure she could tell I wasn't really thinking about her, but she's been really good with it for the year we've been together. She's a good big sister, so if you need anyone to talk to, Ino, talk to Temari._

_Yeah, well, that's basically it. Wills are troublesome and at age 18 I don't really have much yet. Take everything if you want, Ino, but remember to give some to Chouji. Oh, and there's two free ramen tickets in my room. It's stuffed under my lamp. If you can find it, give it to Naruto._

_I love you,  
Shikamaru_

He had went on a mission, and come back on a stretcher with Neji, Kiba and Sasuke. Two days later now and Tsunade pronounced him dead, then rushed off to see Kiba! This wasn't right!

"Shikamaru!" screamed Ino. "Get the fuck up right now! If you don't, I'll... I'll make you clean my house for a month!"

Shikamaru didn't get up.

"A year! A century! A millenium!"

Still, there was no reply from the lifeless body beneath her.

Sobbing again now, Ino lowered her head onto Shikamaru's chest. She wrapped her arms around him, her hair falling onto Shikamaru's face. Then, she remembered.

"Hey Shika," she whispered, still sobbing and straightening up. "You promised that when we get older we'll show each other how we look like with our hair down, remember?"

Hands trembling, Ino pulled her hair-tie out. Her golden locks fell free from the high ponytail it was always in. It tumbled down, falling over her shoulders and caressing her waistline.

Wiping some tears from her face, Ino took her hairbrush, and brushed her own hair a few times. Then, she set it down, reached over, and gently pulled out Shikamaru's hair-tie. Ino lifted his head, took her hairbrush and parted his hair down the middle.

"You look good like that," she whispered. Slowly, gently, she lowered his head back onto the pillow of the hospital bed.

Ino slid her hand to his face and carressed his face with her thumb. Smiling sadly, she leaned in, and kissed him.

After a moment, she pulled back as fresh tears began to flow down her face.

"I love you too, Shikamaru."

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**Errr... how was it? This isn't the first death fic I've written, rest assured, so it won't suck like hell. Although I'm sure it could get better. XP**

**R&R! No flames pls! If you would like to shower me with compliments, that's fine by me! However, if you wish to point out some mistakes, then please sugar-coat it a little. In other words -give _constructive_ criticsm when criticsm is required.**

**-MC**


	2. Kiba

**Yipeedeedoodles! The second chapter of Four Little Letters! Aren't you all happy? lol. Anyways -yes, Achillea, it WILL BE KibaHina. That's why it was inspired by 'Second Best', see?**

**Anyway, I'm sorry to all the KNTM fans/people out there. I want to get this out of the way first. It's just a four-shot, so it won't take long, I promise!

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_Four Little Letters_  
By Mini-Chobi

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**

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan..." said Tsunade. "We did everything we could, Shizune and I..."

Hinata looked up, her pearly white eyes were tinged pink from her crying. She bit her quivering lip to stop the tears.

"I have to hurry off to help Neji now... please, don't take this harshly," Tsunade said, placing a hand on the young kunoichi's shoulder. "You're in the same position as Ino, you two will have a lot to talk about."

Hinata was confused. "What do you mean? Ino..." Hinata gasped. "Is Shikamaru... Shikamaru... what... oh-no... Shikamaru?"

Tsunade gave her a sad smile and walked swiftly down the hall, leaving Hinata outside Kiba's door.

As soon as Tsunade and Shizune turned away, Hinata slumped down against the wall and started crying again, drenching her lap in tears. When she could bear it no longer, Hinata stood up and entered Kiba's room. Akamaru was whining beside Kiba, licking his hand and willing him to wake up.

Hinata swallowed. She sat down on the chair beside Kiba's bed, and lay her head on his chest.

As she did so, she felt something sharp poke her. Wondering what it was, Hinata lifted her head and looked back down at Kiba's chest. There was a plain white envelope there, and Hinata wondered how she could have missed it before.

Slowly, her hands shaking, Hinata lifted the envelope and flipped it over. Scribbled there, in Kiba's handwriting, was one word:

'Hinata'

Hinata gulped, and carefully slit open the enelope. She took the folded letter out from the envelope, unfolded it, and began to read.

_Dear Hinata,_

_Shikamaru insisted that we all write these letters. I don't think even he thought we were going to survive this mission -hello... assasination of a fucking ...?_ (1) _Nuh-uh. (Oh, we aren't supposed to let anyone know WHO we're assasinating, so I wrote dots instead. You understand though, don't you?)_

_The other guys are writing them to other people. I saw Shikamaru write Ino's name on the envelope of his, so his definetly went to Ino. It's pretty sad. Obviously, those two have liked each other from the beginning._

_On that topic... I wanted to tell you Hinata... I like you. Not just as a friend, but, you know... that? I hope I'm not too late telling you. It's just that you've always been trying to woo Naruto. I thought I was just in the way._

_I'm most definitly going to die on this stupid mission, though, so no worries as to if I'll disrupt your love life with Naruto. Yup. Me, Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru. The loners and the dead. Woot woot._

_And yes, I'm being sarcastic._

_VERY sarcastic._

_I hate Naruto now, plain and simple. I envy him because he gets to spend time with you. I'm frustrated at him because he doesn't even awknowledge your existence much. But I do. I love you, Hinata. _

_I__'ve got to tell you even if I don't survive this fucking mission. I don't care if you don't love me back. I just needed to tell you. That's all._

_Loving you forevermore, (wow that sounded so corny!)  
Kiba_

By the time Hinata finished reading the letter, some of the words were so smudged by her tears they were barely legible. (sp?) She quickly folded it up again and slipped it back into its envelope. Tears still dripping from her face, Hinata leaned back in her chair and thought of what she had just learned.

Kiba had loved her.

Kiba probably would never have guessed this, but Hinata had given up on Naruto after seeing how utterly obsessed he was with Sakura. Hinata had then stopped having a crush on anyone for about a year. During that year, Kiba had gone away on some private training outside the village with Akamaru.

When Kiba had come back, Hinata couldn't believe her eyes. (and that's saying something for a Hyuuga) Kiba had become very... there was no other way to put it -very sexy. Not just a little -very.

Either Kiba hadn't noticed the change or didn't really care. He continued hanging out with her and Shino. That was fine with Hinata. However, most of the time, some insane fangirl of his would randomly run up to him, screeching that Kiba MUST go out with her.

Kiba would then blink a few times and refuse, turning back to try and make small talk with Shino. Of-course, Shino would stand there like the tree he was and basically ignore Kiba until he gave up and started talking to Hinata. Then Hinata would blush slightly and chat happily with Kiba.

At those times, Hinata often wondered if Kiba was just used to her blushing all the time and stuttering, or if he had somehow gone blind, or was he just as dense as Naruto. The red on her face was enough to make her spotted a mile away.

It was after one of these 'hanging-out times' when Shino came up to Hinata and stated something very unexpected.

"You love Kiba, Hinata."

Hinata was startled, waiting for Shino to grin and yell 'Haha! Got you!'. Then, she remembered that it was Shino she was talking to, and that Shino was always serious, whether he should be or not.

"What... what do y-you mean-n, Shino-s-san?"

Shino had tilted his sunglasses slightly so that she could see his eyes. There was a thouroughly exasperated look on his face. After a moment, he walked away.

That Shino really didn't say more than necessary. Ever.

As Hinata came out of her flashback daze, she wiped the tears from her face, and looked at Kiba's lifeless body in front of her.

Suddenly, she knew that Shino was right. She did love Kiba, and now that he was gone, it hurt deeply.

As she felt fresh tears coming up, Hinata leaned over and suddenly something she would never dare to do if Kiba had been alive or hadn't told her he loved her.

She kissed him.

Hinata's tears fell from her closed eyelashes and dropped lightly onto Kiba's face. As she pulled back from the kiss, she looked once again onto the handsome face of her teammate and good friend.

Smiling sadly, Hinata stood up, squeezed Kiba's lifeless hand and petted Akamaru good-bye.

Then, she headed towards the door. With her hand on the doorknob, Hinata turned back and looked out the window.

Outside, white fluffy clouds floated around in the clear blue sky. A ray of sunshine came in from the window and landed on Kiba's face, making it seem like it was glowing.

Hinata looked down slightly.

"Wait for me in Heaven, Kiba."

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Hello. I was going to make Hinata say 'I love you too, Kiba' but Ino said that so I made her say 'Wait for me in Heaven, Kiba.' instead. Wow! Go me! 

(1) Originally, there were four dots, standing for 'kage' but noooo! Fanfiction doesn't allow four dots together! I mean, come on! It's only FOUR DOTS! Geez! As Kiba constantly sticks up his middle finger in the manga I thought it would be appropriate for him to swear a lot. That is all!

-MC


	3. Neji

**Ok. You guys are like: THIS WON'T TAKE LONG? LIAR!**

**I know. I know. I'm sorry! I'm updating, see? Enjoy! Or cry. Your choice.**

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_Four Little Letters_  
By Mini-Chobi

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**

Tenten walked cautiously into the room, afraid of what she would see and hear.

Tsunade was shaking her head and tears of tears were streaming down Shizune's face.

"Not again... not again!" screamed Shizune in fustration, a depressed Tonton at her feet. "We couldn't do anything! Again!"

Tenten's breath caught in her breath. Couldn't do anything? Again?

"Er... Tsunade-sama? Shizune-san?"

Tsunade looked over at Tenten.

"I'm sorry, Tenten," she whispered softly.

"You're saying that a lot more than you should today, Tsunade-sama!" said Shizune.

"I'm sorry..."

"SHUT UP!"

Shizune and Tsunade turned to look at Tenten, shocked at her outburst.

"You CAN save him!" Tenten yelled. "You CAN! You guys are the legendary Tsunade and her medic sidekick, Shizune! You can save Neji! You can! You can! Please! Tell me you can!"

"I can tell you that," said Tsunade, walking briskly towards the door with Shizune shuffling behind her, sobbing. "But then I'd be lying."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Tenten hobbled over to Neji's bed and pulled over a chair. She sat down, clasped her hands together in her lap, and looked down on the floor.

When I look back up, Neji will be sitting up sipping a cup of that bitter green tea he's always drinking, Tenten thought.He'll be fine, we'll talk a bit, and then Lee will jump in with a squirrel on his shoulder and start talking about his new Genin students and how youthful they are.

Neji will be exasperated, I'll laugh, and it'll be alright. Everything will be alright. Neji'll get up, and two days later he'll come over and tell me that he failed his Genin students because they were all really stupid, and then I'll listen to him cuss about the idiocy of the nation while writing up a report of my own Genin.

It'll be just like last year, and every single microscopic detail will be alright.

There was a knock on the door, and Tenten looked up.

Lee came in, no squirrel on his shoulder, not talking about his youthful genin. There was no mug of steaming bitter green tea on the hospital's bedside table, and Neji was still lying on the bed.

Tenten's daydream crashed in around her. Nothing was alright. The whole big picture was wrong, let alone every little detail.

"Tenten?" asked Lee.

"Yeah?" her voice was a lot wobblier than she expected.

"Neji gave me this to give to you before he went on his mission," said Lee, holding out a pale blue envelope with 'Tenten' on the front. "He said it was important and no peeking on my part. I got one too, but it was just him telling me to always be happy. Hope yours is better."

Tenten took the envelope in her hands. She stared at it for a moment.

"Thanks," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.

For a moment there was an awkward silence as Lee stood in front of the door and Tenten held the envelope.

"Thanks," she repeated.

"Welcome," replied Lee, walking out.

As Lee's footsteps faded away, Tenten leaned back in her chair, eyes closed, tears welling in her eyes.

After a bit, she opened the envelope and took out the letter.

_Tenten,_

_I'm on an S-class mission. I don't think I'll survive, so take good care of Lee and Gai-sensei to see that they don't go insane. You're a strong person, Tenten. I'm trusting you to not cry yourself broke with tissues._

_Now to what I really need to say._

_How do I start this? I don't want to sound cheesy at a time like this, but I don't want to be too formal either... any suggestions? Be casual, be you! You call yourself a genius? You're thinking that, Tenten. I know. I know I should._

_It's just that whenever I talk to you I feel all weird. I feel like I have to show you my good side and never let you see my ugly one, like I'm afraid that if I do, you'll run away. Why is that? I feel like I always have to have you around, but when I do, I feel a need to show off. I don't know why..._

_I've been talking to Lee and Shikamaru, the dumb and the intelligent, to get an answer. Shikamaru looked at me all weird and looked like he was having an internal battle, Lee climbed onto a boulder and started singing/dancing/crying out of pure joy all at once,but I got the same answer from both._

_They both said I liked you VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY x1,000,000 much. _

_Ok, so Lee said that. Shikamaru gave me a straighter answer._

_He said that I loved you, and I would do anything for you...?_

_I think they're right. I've never felt like this towards anyone. Even Ino. So bear with me, because now I'm sounding OOC and I have no idea how to word my feelings._

_How about this:_

_Marry me if I live, Tenten?  
Neji_

Tenten sighed and put away the letter. She smiled slightly in spite of herself. Her letter was waaay better than Lee's.

That aside, it was making her want to cry. But Neji didn't want her to cry...

2 years ago, when Neji was going out with Ino, she thought that he was lost to her forever. Anyone would be captivated by the girl's sparkling blue eyes, platinum blonde hair, and spunky personality.

However, within a year and a half, they broke up, and Tenten was renewed with hope, but Neji never turned her way like that. Never looked at her all special, never put his arm around her shoulders or gave her corny phone calls, gave her flowers or whatnot, to signify that he was making a move.

Was he waiting for her?

But then again, he visited her with Lee on more or less a daily basis and cheered her up. He would bear with watching chick flicks with her while Lee kept excusing himself to the bathroom, and didn't yell when she took away his hairtie and started combing his hair and joking that he was a real-life, long-haired Ken while Lee laughed.

She remembered one time, Lee was away on a mission, and it was only her and Neji. As she began her routine take-out-the-hairtie-and-comb-the-blackness-while-teasing-Neji-with-the-same-old-thing, he suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, Tenten. If I'm Ken, whose Barbie?"

"I don't know," she had replied. "Maybe you haven't met Barbie yet. She's probably yet to show up. They never said how many girlfriends Ken had before Barbie, did they?"

"How should I know? I'm not a girl."

"Sexist! I don't know either!"

"Well I suppose not, tomboy. However, in my world, Barbie and Ken would never break up."

"Shut up, will you? Or I'll french braid your hair really tight and take a picture of it!"

"...it's all in the stars..."

"That's my line, Neji."

She took that all as friendship, not love. She didn't know he was trying to imply that he thought she was his ideal lover. She thought he wasn't ready for another relationship, and treated this all as routine friendship-building excercises, especially since they almost always included Lee. Apparently not.

All along, he had liked her, but didn't even know it? And he only knew now that he was dead?

Tenten sighed at the irony of it all and looked back at Neji.

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. His cursed seal was gone, and there were bandages around his eyes. His prescious pearl-white eyes were probably destroyed beyond recognition to protect the secret of the Byakugan.

As she played with the long silky black hair, she remembered the last line of his letter before his name.

Marry me if I live, Tenten?

"Yes, Neji."

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And, well, there you go. Neji/Tenten. Made it a bit long to make up for the lack of updating. 

The routine, R&R, ppl! You've read, now you should review!

MC


	4. Sasuke

**I decided to quickly finish this fic. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't review!**

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**_Four Little Letters_  
By Mini-Chobi

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**  
"Sakura! What on earth are you doing!" 

That was the first thing that Tsunade said when she rushed into Sasuke's hospital room.

"I'm saving him! I have to! He's our last Uchiha! He's the only one that would ever make me happy!"

Tsunade slapped her forehead.

"Sasuke was fine!"

Sakura stiffened.

"Was?"

"Yes! Was!" replied Tsunade. "I knew how to treat him! His wounds weren't as serious as the other three, which is why I placed him last on my priority list!"

"D-did...did I help him at all?"

"No," Shizune croaked. "Tsunade will explain."

"The leg wound he has, got infected. I put disinfect on it, but he needed it to heal naturally for him to survive, or else the bacteria would go all around him..." started Tsunade. "Sakura, you closed that wound, didn't you?"

Sakura stood, shocked, green chakra fading from her hands in horror.

_I killed him._

"It's happened before," said Shizune, hoping to comfort the poor girl.

"Bway! Bway!" Tonton was thinking along the same lines.

Tsunade and Shizune left to document the four deaths that day, leaving the murderer with the victim. Sakura pulled over a chair and sat in it, shaking.

And she let the tears flow.

_He was alright... he was alright! I didn't need to do anything! He was fine! I..._

**You killed him, bitch!**

_Shut up, Inner Me._

**Dumbass, pick up that letter on the sidetable. Has your name on it.**

_What?_

**You heard me. Pick it up.**

Sobbing, Sakura did as told. The envelope was light pink, decorated with fans and... cherry blossoms? What? What a strange pair-up of decors.

She removed the letter from the envelope, opened it, and began reading.

_Sakura,_

_Kill Itachi for me. You have to. Believe me. You're the only one I trust you with this important task. Itachi. Must. Die. I don't care if he becomes the last of the Uchiha clan and dies. It's not like he wants to repopulate the clan anyway. I die, Uchiha dies._

_I trust you with all my heart, both ways, Sakura. Accomplish my life-ambition for me. Live on without me, but don't forget me, and don't forget to kill Itachi._

_Ever._

_Both things._

_Itachi and me._

_You must always remember._

_Trusting you with my heart,  
Sasuke_

Sakura pouted. He went on a life-threatening mission and this is what he wrote? The whole thing was more about Itachi than her. Why didn't he write a letter to Itachi telling him to suicide?

After a moment, Sakura understood. Killing Itachi was the one most important thing in Sasuke's life. The one big highlight. If he handed it over to her... then...

"Sasuke... you loved me?"

**Baka.**

_Shut up._

**Of-course he did. _Trusting you with my heart, Sasuke._ If that didn't mean-**

_SHUT UP!_

**Fine.**

Sakura sighed. She had killed the person that loved her, and that she loved. How stupid could she get? She should've been more careful, but noooo. She HAD to close that wound, didn't she?

"Forgive me, Sasuke-kun..."

As Sakura sat in the hospital room, crying and contradicting herself, two people dressed in black and red stood outside. Between the fingers of one, there was a note. It said:

_Don't die. If you die, Sakura'll forget me. Don't die._

Itachi crumbled the note, dropped it on the ground, and stepped on it. After a moment, he decided to kick it into the gutter for good measure.

"I won't die, little brother. Not yet. Let's go, Kisame."

The other person nodded, and the two nukenin swiftly took off, leaving the pink-haired girl to mourn.

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**Le finale. Not very final but oh well.**

**Thank you for reading this fic!**

**-MC**


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